Month: November 2016

November; coursework deadlines, over eager Christmas decorators, cold weather and dark nights. As the nights draw in and the weather becomes ferocious, I am increasingly forced (FORCED I SAY) to stay at home, consuming hot drinks and being cosy, and what better companion to cuddle up with than a book?

I have a few books I want to get to this month, or during the remainder of this year, and while I do not vow to stick resolutely to this list, it would be nice to get to these books fairly soon.

The Good Immigrant edited by Nikesh Shukla

This is a compilation of essays discussing an ethnic minority in Britain, something which I am extremely interested in. My experience of life is extremely narrow, and I am always eager to read from the perspectives of others about their lives and their experiences. I have already started this, and while only a few essays in I am already irritated and disappointed with the collective ignorance of the United Kingdom, and the things I maybe don’t realise are as offensive as they are. I think this will be a very valuable reading experience.

Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig

This story is from the Austro Hungarian Empire, and follows a young cavalry officer who makes a slight ‘faux pas’, and the aftermath of this event. I have also started this book and while I know little about the plot, I have a sneaking suspicion it is going to be good. Plus, it is a translated text (from German), and I have read an embarrassingly low number of translated works thus far.

Wish I Was Here by Jackie Kay

Jackie Kay hosted the event which I attended with Ali Smith at the Edinburgh Book Festival, and beforehand I am ashamed to say I had not heard of her. However, I made a vow to change this after seeing her and Ali Smith interacting together throughout the event. I don’t often read short story collections, however this one sounds like a great little read. It discusses all different aspects of love, and as I also don’t read a lot of books with love as the main theme of the story, I thought this would be a welcomed change.

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett is one of my favourite authors of all time, and this is his Discworld interpretation of a festive, Christmas story. I think I’m going to pick this up as things start to get more Christmassy and see where it may take me!

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

A book I have heard lots about, and one which is considered a prime example of a good old coming of age story. I think it is high time I got round to this book. I’m ready for you, Francie Nolan.